Eid al-Adha 2027 sheep: a month-by-month savings plan

Sheep price in Algeria: what 2026 tells us about 2027

For Eid 2026, the state imported about a million sheep, mainly from Spain and Romania, and the President capped their price at 50 000 DA (Council of Ministers, 8 March 2026). They were sold only by reservation on the adhahi.dz platform, with your national identification number (NIN) and biometric ID card: 48 000 DA paid online, 49 000 DA by card terminal, 50 000 DA in cash, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Sales opened on 18 April, more than five weeks before the Eid.

Local sheep were another story. At the Ouled Fayet market, west of Algiers, Horizons found a young lamb at 95 000 DA in May 2026, sturdier sheep at about 130 000 DA and big rams at 160 000 to 170 000 DA. The trend points the same way: in the ONS consumer price bulletin for July 2026, mutton (meat and offal) cost 19.3% more in Algiers than a year earlier.

And 2027? Nobody knows yet: at the time of writing (October 2026), no price and no import scheme had been announced. So plan on a target based on 2026, add a margin, and check again in March or April, when the first prices appear.

Seven months, seven amounts: the plan from October to April

Eid al-Adha 1448 (the Aïd el-Kébir, as it’s called in Algeria) is expected around 16 May 2027. Aim to have the money by the end of April rather than the eve of the Eid: in 2026, imported sheep were reserved and paid for weeks in advance.

From October to April there are seven months. Divide your target by seven, round up to the next 100 DA, and put that amount aside on payday, before anything else, as with any savings on an Algerian salary .

Too heavy for one salary? Look at the household’s incomes together, or start lower. If prices land below your target, the difference pays for the extras.

Ramadan in the middle: plan both

Ramadan 1448 is expected to start on Monday 8 February 2027, with Eid al-Fitr around 10 March. So the February and March amounts fall in the most expensive weeks of the year: fuller shopping baskets, zlabia and qalb el-louz (the Ramadan sweets), new clothes for the children.

You don’t have to choose between the two. Save a little more from October to January and in April, and a little less in February and March. Here are the same targets, spread differently:

Plan the Ramadan month at the same time, in October, so that both fit into the same salaries: see how to budget for Ramadan .

The extras around the sacrifice

The sheep is the big number, but it rarely comes alone. Count these in your target, or in a small second goal:

• The butcher, if you don’t slaughter yourself: rates change from one town to the next, so ask around before Eid week.
• Getting the sheep home and keeping it: transport from the market, then hay, barley and water if it stays with you for a few days or more.
• Charcoal, spices, onions and the rest for the first days’ meals: bouzellouf (the head), douara (the tripe dish), the grill.
• Freezer space: a whole sheep needs room. Empty the freezer in the weeks before, buy freezer bags, and if you’re thinking of buying a freezer, make it a goal of its own rather than a surprise in May.

Don’t know the rates in your area yet? Add a round margin of your choice, such as 10 000 DA, and correct it once you know. With a 100 000 DA sheep, 110 000 DA over seven months is 15 800 DA a month.

Buying a sheep par facilité: the practical side

Some sellers offer to spread the payment, what Algerians call buying par facilité, sometimes over the months after the Eid. Before you say yes, compare the total you’ll pay with the cash price, and write down the number of payments, their amounts and their dates. A sheep paid off in June, July and August competes with the summer and the rentrée, the back-to-school month.

Once you’ve agreed, treat it like any other debt: note the total, then each payment as you make it, so you always know what’s left. The debt tracker guide shows a simple way to do it.

As for the religious side, scholars discuss buying the udhiya (the Eid sacrifice) in installments, and the answer can depend on the details of each case. This article doesn’t give a ruling: ask the imam of your mosque or the services of the Ministry of Religious Affairs about your own situation.

Where to keep the sheep money until May

Sheep money that sits in your everyday wallet ends up as groceries and taxi fares. Keep it apart: a savings account, a CNEP-Banque savings book (its popular savings account pays 2.5% a year before tax, according to its published conditions), Islamic savings if you prefer to avoid interest, or at the very least an envelope at home with a name on it. Economists call this mental accounting (Richard Thaler, 1985): money with a name on it is harder to spend on something else.

Think about how you’ll pay, too. In 2026, paying for an imported sheep online cost 2 000 DA less than paying in cash, so having the money in an account with an Edahabia or CIB card was worth it.

Doing it with Jibi

• Create a savings goal called “Eid sheep 2027” with your target and May 2027 as the target month: Jibi shows how much to put aside each month to get there.
• Each time you save, add the money to the goal and watch it fill up. If you have to take some back for an emergency, the monthly amount adjusts to what’s left.
• Set your Ramadan budget with a limit per category: Jibi warns you when a category gets close to its limit.
• Bought par facilité? Add it under debts and installments and record each payment.

To fit the sheep into the rest of the month, follow the monthly budget guide .